Press conferences arranged on the sidelines of China’s National People’s Congress, which wrapped up Wednesday, are dutifully covered by local and foreign news media in search of insights on where the political and economic winds might be shifting.

It can be an exasperating effort, as most times officials at the annual legislative meeting only call on reporters whose questions have been pre-screened. In one example that drew widespread ridicule among Chinese Internet users this week before it was taken offline, a moderator called on a journalist wearing a “dark jacket” – only to look up and find that the woman, whose row and seat location he had called out, had taken off the jacket and was wearing white instead.

The stage-managing goes into overdrive when it comes to China’s efforts to shed the image that its policymakers can’t handle difficult questions from foreign media. In addition to pre-screening questions, officials have adopted another strategy: Call on foreign-looking journalists who work for foreign-sounding news outlets that actually have links to Chinese state-controlled media.

Moderators in recent years have shownan uncanny knack for calling on these journalists, who could be counted on to ask reliably toothless questions on topics such as agricultural reform and cultural exchange -- often fueling the scorn of Beijing’s foreign press corps.

This year, however, things have been a little different.

Journalists work during a press conference at the National People's Congress on March 12, 2016.

Zuma Press

Whereas in past years reporters from an Australian radio outfit affiliated with state-run China Radio International have caused a stir, this time around the news outlet, Global CAMG Media Group, seems to have taken a lower profile. China Real Time didn't find any examples of CAMG journalists asking questions this year in transcripts from the session. A person answering the phone at the company’s Beijing office said he didn’t know whether the firm sent any reporters to cover this year’s meetings.

China Real Time has come across several “foreign media with Chinese characteristics” at the NPC over the past week -- but their questions have run the gamut, from softballs on soybean trade to pointed queries on China’s journalism laws.

This online news portal and weekly newspaper says on its website it is registered in Los Angeles and was founded by Chinese American entrepreneurs. Sino-U.S. Times L.A. bureau chief Li Yongtian told China Real Time the company is headquartered in L.A. so it is considered overseas media.However, much of the content on its website comes from state media such as China News Service and China's official Xinhua News Agency.

At a March 7 press conference hosted by China’s agriculture minister, a reporter from the Sino-U.S. times asked about soybean trade between China and U.S.: “How many soybeans do we import from the U.S.? How much of that is genetically modified soybeans?”

China Review News Agency was set up in Hong Kong in 2005 and has multiple outlets in Taiwan. It is affiliated with China Review Group (中国评论集团), which was founded in 1998. The late Wang Daohan, a Communist Party member focused on trade and cross-strait ties, gave the group its name and was closely involved in its founding, according to a 2011 article by the agency.

On its website, China Review News Agency calls itself a “unique think tank media.” A person answering the phone at the company’s office said it is headquartered in Hong Kong. "It's up to you to decide if you think we're foreign media or not," he said.

During a press conference by the Beijing delegation to the NPC, a reporter from the agency’s Hong Kong bureau was picked as a “foreign media reporter” to raise a question. The hard-hitting query: “What are the key points in the exchanges between Beijing and Taiwan? Can you introduce the plans to build an expressway from Beijing to Taiwan?”

A press conference on the sidelines of the fourth session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China, March 14, 2016.

This newspaper’s website says it was set up in Sydney in 2004 to cater to Chinese people in Australia. The paper is owned by Yangcheng Evening News Group, a Guangzhou-based state-run news publisher, and Kingold Group, a privately-owned property developer.

At the March 4 press conference hosted by Fu Ying, a spokeswoman for the National People’s Congress, a reporter lavished praise on Ms. Fu and then asked: "Before the opening of the two meetings, I received an important piece of news. General Liu Yuan will be nominated as deputy director of the NPC’s financial committee. What is this decision based on?” (Liu Yuan is one of the sons of Liu Shaoqi, once considered a possible successor to Mao Zedong)

This organization’s website says it was established in 1990 by 11 Chinese immigrants from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The paper was founded as an independent news outlet but "has maintained close ties to the official media machine in mainland China," according to UCLA Professor Min Zhou in her book "Contemporary Chinese America."

A reporter at the U.S.-based Chinese publication raised a question during a press conference on March 10 about the establishment of laws regarding journalism. "If there are no laws, the rights and duties of reporters in China are in a murky zone," she said, citing the recent case of journalists in China's Gansu province who were detained and now face extortion charges after they wrote stories critical of the local government.

"My question is, how many years has the issue on journalism laws been raised? Is there a timetable? If there is a timetable, can you announce it? If there isn't, why is it so difficult to push out journalism laws in China?"

The moderator later said he wanted a reporter from a different country to ask a question, and when no one else did, he ended the press briefing without addressing her question. The China Press didn't respond to emailed queries by The Wall Street Journal.